In a conventional game machine, a scene in a game space is displayed on a television or the like as a game image. The game machine has a controller with a plurality of control keys, connected thereto to allow a player to control a character appearing in the game space. The game machine changes the game image by detecting an output signal from the controller to identify which control key is controlled by the player, and then allowing an operation assigned to that control key to be reflected in the character.
However, since the shape and arrangement of the control keys on the controller are already physically determined, it is impossible to prepare the optimal control keys for a particular game. For this reason, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications No. 6-285257 and No. 6-285259, game machines are introduced which use a display device with a touch panel instead of a controller.
A game machine disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-285257 displays on the touch panel images of necessary control keys of different types depending on the game program, as shown in FIG. 3 of the publication. Depending on which image of a control key is touched and selected, the function assigned to the selected image of the control key is reflected in the game.
In a game machine disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-285259, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 of the publication, a graphic or letter related to a game image displayed on a television 16 is displayed on a display device with a touch panel on the controller side. By touching and selecting the graphic with the finger, the function assigned to the graphic, letter, or the like is reflected in the game.
However, conventional game machines such as those disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications No. 6-285257 and No. 6-285259 only determine whether a graphic or the like displayed on the display device beneath the touch panel on the controller side is selected, and then simply allow the function assigned to the graphic to be reflected in the game image. That is, since conventional physically arranged control keys are merely displayed on the display device beneath the touch panel, there is a problem that only a small effect is expected because the control keys can be simply displayed at any desired position or in any desired shape depending on the type of games.
A touch panel is also used in personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like, and a system is employed in which a graphic displayed on a liquid crystal display device beneath the touch panel can be directly controlled. Specifically, in PDAs, by double-clicking a graphic of a folder, the folder opens, and by dragging a graphic of an icon, the icon is moved. Namely, in PDAs and the like, it is assumed that the user, whoever it may be, can certainly perform a desired operation, and therefore a directly touched graphic is caused to change in its display. However, if such a technique is simply applied to an electronic game, since the display of a directly touched graphic itself changes, a problem may arise in that the user may not be able to identify a graphic he/she should control. A specific example is provided below. In the case where graphics of a plurality of triangle-shaped control keys and a circle-shaped control key are displayed, if the circle-shaped button is selected and thereby its display is changed to a triangle shape, the player may be confused about which key is the original circle-shaped control key.
Therefore, a feature of the present illustrative embodiments is to provide a storage medium having stored therein a game program which allows a game image displayed on a first display screen to change according to the change in input to a graphic displayed on a second display screen covered with a touch panel.
Another feature of an illustrative embodiment is to provide a storage medium having stored therein a game program which allows game images displayed on a first display screen and a second display screen covered with a touch panel to selectively change according to the change in input to a graphic displayed on the second display screen.
Still another feature of an illustrative embodiment is to provide a storage medium having stored therein a game program which allows a game image to change more easily by extracting at least two calculation parameters from the change in input and then performing a calculation using the calculation parameters.
The exemplary illustrative embodiments have the following features to overcome the problems mentioned above. It is to be understood that reference numerals, supplemental remarks, etc. in parentheses illustrate the corresponding relationship with embodiments, which will be described below, and are provided to assist in the understanding of the exemplary illustrative embodiments, and thus are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
A first feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments is directed to a storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer (e.g., 21) of a game machine (1) having a first display screen (11a) and a second display screen (12a) covered with a touch panel (13), the game program causing the computer to function as game image display controller (S1), graphic display controller (S2), input change detector (S3, S7, S8), parameter extractor (S4, S6, S9), change condition calculator (S11), and image change controller (S12). The game image display controller displays a game image (P1, D, T) on the first display screen. The graphic display controller displays on the second display screen a graphic (P2; e.g., one of graphics contained in the game image) related to the game image. The input change detector detects a change in input (e.g., a change in a series of continuous inputs) to the touch panel. If the input detected by the input change detector is provided to the graphic, the parameter extractor extracts at least two types of calculation parameters (such as a start point, an end point, part or all of the points between the start point and the end point, and a detection input time) from the change in the input. The change condition calculator calculates, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to change the game image according to the change in the input. The image change controller changes the game image on the first display screen based on the change condition setting data.
In a second feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments, the computer is caused to function as the game image display controller, the graphic display controller, the change condition calculator, and the image change controller as follows. The game image display controller may display on the first display screen a game image containing a player character (e.g. a display of the player character changing in response to the input from a player). The graphic display controller may display a character pattern (P2) associated with the player character. The change condition calculator may calculate change condition setting data used to change the display of the player character according to a change in the input to the character pattern. The image change controller may change the display of the player character in the game image based on the change condition setting data.
In a third feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments, the computer is caused to function as the input change detectors, the parameter extractor, the change condition calculator, and the image change controller as follows. Specifically, the input change detector may detect a change in the input by determining at predetermined time intervals whether input is provided to the touch panel, and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the input is continuously detected. The parameter extractor may extract, as calculation parameters, sets of position coordinates including an input start point and an input end point, with respect to the touch panel. The change condition calculator may calculate, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data (e.g., a movement direction, an initial speed, an acceleration, a deceleration, a movement distance, a movement speed, a spin direction, etc.) used to move the player character according to a positional relationship between the input start point and the input end point. The image change controller may move the player character based on the change condition setting data.
In a fourth feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments, the computer is caused to function as the input change detector, the parameter extractor, the change condition calculator, and the image change controller, as follows. The input change detector may detect a change in the input by determining at predetermined time intervals whether input is provided to the touch panel, and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the input is continuously detected. The parameter extractor may extract, as calculation parameters, sets of position coordinates including an input start point and an input end point, with respect to the touch panel. The change condition calculator may calculate, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to move the player character according to a positional relationship between the input start point or the input end point and a reference position of the character pattern. The image change controller may move the player character based on the change condition setting data.
In a fifth feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments, the computer may be further caused to function as a timekeeper for measuring an input detection time while the input to the touch panel is continuously detected, and the parameter extractor may extract at least two types of calculation parameters including the measured input detection time. The change condition calculator may calculate, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to reflect the input time in movement of a player character.
A sixth feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiments is directed to a storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer (e.g., 21) of a game machine (1) having a first display screen (11a) and a second display screen (12a) covered with a touch panel (13), the game program causing the computer to function as game image display controller (S21), graphic display controller (S22), input change detector (S25, S27, S28), input pattern extractor (S26, S29), emotional parameter changer (S30), and image change controller (S31). The game image display controller displays on the first display screen a game image containing a player character (P6) (e.g. a display of the player character (P6) changing in response to input from a player). The graphic display controller displays on the second display screen a character pattern (P61) associated with the player character (P6). The input change detector detects a change in the input by detecting, at predetermined time intervals, the input provided to the touch panel and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the change in the input is detected. The input pattern extractor extracts, if the input detected by the input change detector is provided to the character pattern, an input pattern closest to the change in the input from a group of input patterns prepared in advance. The emotional parameter changer changes emotional parameters assigned to the player character, according to a type of the input pattern and the number of times the input pattern has been repeated, which are extracted by the input pattern extractor, the emotional parameters being stored. The image change controller changes a display of the player character based on the emotional parameters having been changed by the emotional parameter changer.
A seventh feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiment is directed to a storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer (e.g., 21) of a game machine (1) having a first display screen (11a) and a second display screen (12a) covered with a touch panel (13), the game program causing the computer to function as: narrow-area map display controller (S43), wide-area map display controller (S42), input pattern detector (S44, S45), and narrow-area map updater (S46, S47, S48). The narrow-area map display controller sets, within an image storage region (22a) where a game space is rendered, a first display range (31) used to display part of the rendered game space, and displays, as a narrow-area map, an image contained in the first display range on the first display screen at an enlarged scale. The wide-area map display controller sets, within the image storage region, a second display range (30) wider than the first display range, and displays an image contained in the second display range on the second display screen, as a wide-area map. The input pattern detector detects an input pattern provided to a region of the touch panel where the wide-area map is displayed, and an input position of the input pattern. The narrow-area map updater updates, if the input pattern detected by the input pattern detector is determined as a first input pattern, a display of the narrow-area map by moving the first display range to a location within the image storage region which corresponds to the input position, and then displaying an image contained in the first display range on the first display screen at an enlarged scale.
In an eighth feature of the exemplary illustrative embodiment, the computer may be further caused to function as a wide-area map updater (S46, S49, S50). The wide-area map updater updates, if the input pattern detected by the input detector is determined as a second input pattern, the wide-area map by scrolling the second display range within the image storage region in conjunction with the input pattern, and then displaying an image contained in the second display range on the second display screen.
According to the first feature, since a graphic related to a game image is displayed on the second display screen covered with a touch panel and the game image is caused to change according to the change in input provided to the graphic by a player, the game image on the first display screen which is different from the screen on which the graphic is displayed can be changed in response to the input provided to the graphic. Accordingly, for example, it is possible to change the course of the game according to the change in the input provided to the graphic by the player. Further, since the game image is changed by performing a calculation based on at least two calculation parameters extracted from the change in the input, the game image can be changed by a simpler process. Therefore, it is possible to provide a game which enables a new form of expression which cannot be realized by a simple control-key selection as in conventional cases.
According to the second feature, since a character pattern associated with a player character is displayed on the second display screen, the player can be easily aware that the player character on the first display screen is the object to be controlled by him/her. In addition, since the display of the player character on the first display screen changes according to the change in the input to the character pattern on the second display screen, it is possible to provide a game which gives the player an unprecedented sense of control.
According to the third feature, since how the player character is moved is determined by the relationship between the coordinate positions of the input start point and the input end point, the player's intuitive control can be reflected in the movement of the player character on the first display screen.
According to the fourth feature, since how the player character is moved is determined by the relationship between the coordinate positions of the input start point or the input end point, and a reference position of the character pattern, the player's intuitive control can be reflected in the movement of the player character on the first display screen.
According to the fifth feature, since the time during which the input is continuously provided is reflected in how the player character is moved, the player's intuitive control can be reflected in the movement of the player character on the first display screen.
According to the sixth feature, since emotional information of the player character is changed according to the change in the input and the display of the player character is changed based on the emotional information, the display of the player character can be changed depending on what input the player provides. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a game giving the player a sense of flexible control, which cannot be realized by a simple control-key selection as in conventional cases.
According to the seventh feature, since a narrow-area map is displayed on the first display screen, a wide-area map is displayed on the second display screen, and part of the wide-area map is displayed, as a narrow-area map, on the first display screen at an enlarged scale according to a first input pattern provided to the wide-area map, it is possible to provide a complex game which allows two screens to be simultaneously displayed.
According to the eighth feature, since a narrow-area map is displayed on the first display screen, a wide-area map is displayed on the second display screen, and either the narrow-area map or the wide-area map is changed according to an input pattern provided to the wide-area map, it is possible to provide a complex game that allows two screens to be simultaneously displayed and proceeds while the player character can be controlled using the two screens, appropriately.